An investigation by the Salvadoran news outlet Factum, which was republished by InSight Crime, exposed how networks within a special anti-gang unit of El Salvador’s police had engaged in various criminal activities. These included extrajudicial executions and other abuses of suspected gang members, which were apparently discussed and coordinated via text messages and social media.

Silva Ávalos and LaSusa discussed the significance of the report in light of the current and historical context of El Salvador, including the complicated relationships between political power structures and the powerful gangs responsible for so much violence in the country. They also talked about the Salvadoran government’s response to the investigation, which so far seems to have made little progress.

We encourage readers to copy and distribute our work for non-commercial purposes, provided that it is attributed to InSight Crime in the byline, with a link to the original at both the top and bottom of the article. Check the Creative Commons website for more details of how to share our work, and please send us an email if you use an article.

Investigating organized crime is dangerous, expensive and important

About Us

InSight Crime is a foundation
dedicated to the study of the principal threat to national and citizen security in Latin America and the Caribbean: Organized Crime. We seek to deepen and inform the debate about organized crime in the Americas by providing the general public with regular reporting, analysis and investigation on the subject and on state efforts to combat it.